Michael van Gerwen saw his campaign to retain the World Series of Darts Finals title come to an abrupt halt in the very first round, falling 6-5 to Northern Ireland's Daryl Gurney after a nail‑biting finish. The Dutch star had been cruising at 5-4 and even had six darts at a winning double, but he could not convert. Gurney, who had been the underdog for much of the night, survived the pressure and clinched the deciding leg, despite a chorus of boos and whistles from the Amsterdam supporters who were hoping for a different outcome. This defeat marks only the second occasion that Van Gerwen has been knocked out in his opening match at this particular event, underscoring the difficulties he has encountered throughout a challenging 2026 season.

"It was really hard work. I can't remember the last time I won on a major stage," Gurney admitted after the match, reflecting on his own struggles to make a mark on television darts outside of his occasional success in the World Cup of Darts. "I put my darts away twice because Michael had six match darts. In all honesty, I was very lucky to even get to 5-5 and I was thinking, 'please, I need trebles.'" Gurney's presence in the tournament was itself something of a last‑minute development.

Visa complications forced the Philippines representatives, Alexis Toylo and Lourence Ilagan, to withdraw, opening up two spots on the reserve list. The highest‑ranked players on that list were the Dutchman Maik Kuivenhoven and Gurney himself, so they were summoned to fill the vacancies left by the Filipino duo. The match itself began with Gurney taking an early 3-0 lead, a stretch during which Van Gerwen could not even get a dart at a double.

However, the three‑time world champion quickly turned the tide, rattling off five consecutive legs to lead 5-3 and seemingly putting the contest beyond Gurney's reach. The tide turned once more when Gurney halted Van Gerwen's momentum at 5-4, then capitalised on the Dutchman's six missed match darts to break serve and hold his nerve, ultimately sealing a 6-5 victory and a place in the second round against Ross Smith, who had dispatched Kevin Doets 6-3 earlier in the day. Other notable action on Thursday included a thrilling encounter between England's Luke Humphries and the Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena.

The opening four legs were split evenly before Humphries produced a spectacular 132 checkout (two bullseyes followed by a double 16) to take the lead. Despite building a 5-3 advantage, Humphries faltered, missing eight match darts before finally closing out the match 6-4.

His win set up a Saturday afternoon second‑round clash with Dirk van Duijvenbode, who had rallied from 1-4 down to beat Sweden's Viktor Tingstrom 6-4. In another dramatic turnaround, Josh Rock recovered from a deficit to beat Stephen Bunting 6-5, snatching the final three legs after Bunting missed several match darts of his own.

Rock's victory earned him a meeting with Ryan Searle, who had comfortably beaten Rob Cross 6-2. Meanwhile, Gian van Veen produced a convincing 6-2 win over Chris Dobey, and Karel Sedlacek edged past Ben Robb 6-4. The first round will continue on Friday, featuring further matches involving Luke Littler, Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton, James Wade and Nathan Aspinall. Littler, who has captured every major title he entered this year, will be looking to add a second World Series of Darts Finals crown to his impressive résumé.

For fans wishing to follow the action, a Chrome browser is recommended for optimal video playback. The schedule for Thursday, September 17, includes the following results: Viktor Tingstrom 4-6 Dirk van Duijvenbode, Rob Cross 2-6 Ryan Searle, Karel Sedlacek 6-4 Ben Robb, Kevin Doets 3-6 Ross Smith, Stephen Bunting 5-6 Josh Rock, Luke Humphries 6-4 Jermaine Wattimena, Michael van Gerwen 5-6 Daryl Gurney, Gian van Veen 6-2 Chris Dobey.

Looking ahead, the World Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports from September 28 through October 4, with streaming available via NOW without a contract and with the option to cancel at any time.